Transportation Planning

Click on the arrows to see the next project.

Exit 5 Improvements at Thompson’s Point – Portland, Maine

Gorrill Palmer completed the design and development of construction documents for transportation off-site improvements related to the redevelopment of Thompson’s Point, from a semi-vacant industrial site into a multi-modal, mixed-use center including event facilities, hotels, retail and office space. The project involved close coordination with numerous stakeholders including MaineDOT, City of Portland, Forefront Partners, Pan Am Railways, Concord Coach Lines and Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA).

The scope of work included reconstruction and widening of Thompson’s Point Road, widening of Exit 5A and 5B off-ramps from I-295 Southbound, construction of a multi-use path along Thompson’s Point Road with connections to the Fore River Parkway Path, sidewalk improvements on Sewall Street, Congress Street and Park Ave, modifications and pedestrian improvements to numerous signalized intersections, and traffic calming improvements in the Rosemont and Libbytown neighborhoods.

The design work included development of construction plans, technical specifications, project quantities and construction cost estimates. Work also included development of right-of-way plans for the Sewall Street portion of the project.

Gorrill Palmer completed the design and development of construction documents for a complete streets improvement project along Forest Avenue in Portland, Maine. The work included reconfiguration of the I-295 ramp intersections with Forest Avenue to improve safety and to provide better accommodations for all modes of traffic including bicycles and pedestrians. Adjustments to the roadway striping including narrowing of the travel lanes to accommodate wider shoulders for bicycles was incorporated into the project.

Multi-use paths separated from the roadway with grass esplanades were provided on both sides of the road for the 0.4 mile project limits. In addition to the multi-use paths, striped bicycle lanes with landscaping and pedestrian scale lighting was included in the project. ADA complaint curb ramps with crosswalks including rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFB) were proposed at the ramp crossings.

The design work included development of construction plans, specifications, quantities and cost estimates.

This Rt. 1 Corridor Study was the last in a series of three that focused on the
southern most portion of Rt. 1 in Yarmouth. Similar to other major routes
through a busy community, this section of Rt. 1 had capacity, safety, pedestrian
and bicycle challenges. Gorrill Palmer completed a full evaluation of the corridor,
including land use forecasting, traffic modeling, access management review,
and capacity and safety analysis. The result was a series of recommendations
for short term, mid-range and long term mitigation to address identified
deficiencies.

Route 112, or North Street / Buxton Road, is a major east-west corridor providing
a connection from downtown Saco to the Buxton area. This roadway, while
historically rural in nature, has experienced significant residential growth in
the past few decades. Gorrill Palmer completed a Corridor Study to identify existing and potential future deficiencies. The study resulted in recommended
mitigation. Since the completion of that study, the City has implemented many
of the short term recommendations such as: increasing radii, constructing
separate left and right turn lanes at key locations, constructing a slip lane and
numerous restriping of areas. The purpose of this update was to reassess the
corridor with the implemented improvements and current and future traffic
volumes and update the recommendations.

Gorrill Palmer provided a traffic assessment and preliminary design services for
improvements to the Spring Street Intersection project located in the heart of
downtown Waterville. Located adjacent to Main Street, the Hathaway Creative
Center and the Waterville-Winslow Bridge, this intersection serves as a gateway
to the City, provides for a major connection to existing and future commercial
development opportunities and has a history worth showcasing in a soon to
be revitalized downtown.

The City, as part of its revitalization efforts, is stepping back to identify what in
the downtown is working from a vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle perspective and
what could be improved on. As part of that review and effort, the Gorrill Palmer
team was contracted to collect data from numerous sources and fill in areas
of missing data, create a computer model of the entire downtown roadway
network, forecast additional traffic for unutilized or under utilized properties in
the area and add them to the roadway network, determine levels of service for
the intersections, complete a safety review and evaluation, design numerous
alternatives to address multiple stakeholder (City, Colby College, Maine DOT)
needs and desires and summarize and recommend a preferred alternative or
sets of alternatives.

The Cities of Biddeford and Saco, Maine have had success in revitalizing their
Mill buildings which are prominent in their respective downtowns. With
the continued redevelopment of these historic structures with mixed uses
including manufacturing, retail, housing and student housing, the Cities
realized the need to complete a comprehensive study of their infrastructure
needs within the downtown as well as the need to development a realistic and
equitable impact fee structure.)

The Cities if Biddeford and Saco jointly retained Gorrill Palmer to complete the
study through the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation Committee
(PACTS).

Gorrill Palmer completed a comprehensive parking study for Bates
College in Lewiston, Maine. The purpose of the study was to evaluate parking supply and demand, to assess the adequacy of the current system and to
make recommendations, as needed, to manage parking demand so the existing
system functions efficiently and effectively into the future. Using the supply and demand inventories, we worked closely with the college to develop a Transportation and Parking Demand Management (TDM) Plan.